Self locking interlocking wall construction



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March 1@, 1936. 5 JENSEN SELF LOCKING INTERLOGKING WALL CONSTRUCTIONFiled April 26, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Invenlor jflafeweiz T. E. JENSENMar ch 10, 19 36.

SELF LOCKING INTERLOCKING WALL CONSTRUCTION Filed April 26, 1935 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventm' Ato'mey awia M Patented Mar. 10, 1936 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE SELF LOCKING INTERLOCKING WALL CONSTRUCTION TalinaE. Jensen, Omaha, Nebr.

Application April 26, 1935, Serial No. 18,413

This invention relates to an interlocking wall construction.

5 Claims.

mortar bonds in the construction thereof.

Another feature of the present invention is to provide pockets in theblocks and cells between the confronting faces of the slabs and blockswhich cells-may be utilized for heating and cooling the buildings aswell as spaces through which may be run plumbing and electric conduitsso as to conceal them in the wall.

Further objects of theinvention are to provide a wall construction ofthe character referred to that is strong, compact and durable,thoroughly reliable for its intended purpose, that conforms to-block andslab manufacturing prac tice, and that is comparatively inexpensive tomanufacture thereby facilitating economical building construction.

unto appended.

In the drawings wherein like reference char.- io" actors denotecorresponding parts throughout the several views:

1 Figure l is a portion of a wall, partly broken away, ;laid with theconcrete blocks and slabs in accordance with the principle of thepresent in- 4 5 vention.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of one of the blocks of the wall.

l wall. 50

Figure 3 is a'longitudinal section through the "Figure 4 is a.perspective view of'one of the facing slabs of the present invention.

FigureS-is almodified form of a concrete block used when it is desiredto face both the inside and outside ofthe wall with the slab of thepres- 5; m; invention.

Referring to the drawings in detail and particularly Figures 1 and 2wherein is disclosed a wall laid in one of several ways utilizing thepresent invention, wherein concrete slabs B are used on only one face ofthe wall,it will be seen that 5 the concrete blocks A are laid insuperimposed courses. Each block A of each course is laid in end to endrelation and the four bottom courses of the blocks are selected forillustration and indicated at 5!, 52, 53 and 54. The blocks 10 of onecourse 52 are laid so that the vertical joints of the overlying andunderlying courses 53 and El respectively are broken by exactly one halfthelength of the block.

The slabs B are also laid in courses indicated 15 by numerals 60, BI and62 beginning with the lower course. The lower course 60 is formed ofslabs B one'half the height of the regular size slabs and for'thispurpose slabs B may be out in half longitudinally, or they may be castin a 2'0 mold only half as deep as the mold for the regular slabs. Thelength of slabs on the lower course 60 are otherwise identical with theregular size slabs. The slabs B of the one course 6| are laid so thatthe vertical joints of the overlying and underlying courses 62 and 60are broken. Furthermore, it will be noted that the longitudinal jointsof the courses of blocks are broken respect to the longitudinal jointsof the courses v of the slabs. For that reason the slabs B are one andone half times the height of the blocks and so as to make the keys onthe ends of the ribs mesh with the keyways on the centers and ends ofthe'blocks, as will hereafter appear, the slabs are one and one halftimes the length ,of the blocks. 7 a

In constructing the Wall'the initial course of slabs 60 is laid to astraight line. Then the rear initial course 5| of they blocks is laid bysliding the keywaysin the centers of the blocks 40 down over the keys onthe slabs as will hereafter appear. Following the laying of the blocksand the slabson the initial courses then the second course El of theslabs is laid on the initial v ou 69 wi h t e k t locki with h 4remaining keyways in the initial course of blocks 5i. Then two coursesof blocks 52, 5 3 are laid on the initial course 5| by sliding thekeyways down over the keys on the slabs. The routine of layingtwocourses of blocks to one of the slabs continues upwardly until thebuilding wall is completed.

It is pointed out that there is no mortar bonds between the joints ofthe coursesof blocks or slabs since the keys on the slabs interlock theslabs to the concrete blocks and also interlocks the blocks of thecourses together.

Each slab B is a rectangular concrete panel very much thinner than thethickness of the blocks. This slab has a flat outer face I0 and a flatupper and lower face II. The slab has a tongue I2 on the inner portionof one side edge which merges with a square shoulder I3 on the outerportion of the same edge. On the opposite side edge the slab is formedwith a groove I4 on the inner portion which merges with an inset ledge I5. The tongues I2 intermesh with grooves I4 while shoulders I3 abutledges I5 on the adjacent slabs in the same course, and fiat upper andlower faces II of the slabs of the courses abut one another.

Projecting rearwardly from the inner face of each slab are three spacingribs indicated at I6, I1 and I8. The ribs are equally and longitudinallyspaced from each other, and are arranged in parallel vertical position,are co-extensive with the height of the slabs and the flat upper andlower edges of the ribs are flush with the flat upper and lower faces ofthe slabs. On the outer free ends the ribs each merge with the center ofthe chord side of the segmental heads I9, which heads are a part of thelocking keys indicated at I9a. One side 20 of each end rib I6 is fiatand this side is outset with respect to the ledge I5 which relationbreaks the vertical joints between the slabs. The other side of rib I6curves inwardly from the inner face of the slabs to a point outwardly ofthe heads I9 and at this point the ribs flatten out to provide fiatshanks or necks 2| on the keys I9a. Both sides of the other ribs I1 andI8 curve inwardly on the same radii as the curved inside of the end ribsI6 and they also flatten out adjacent the heads I9 to form flat shanksor necks 22 on the keys l9a. These necks 2| and 22 fit in the keywaysbetween the ends of the blocks and in the centers of the blockswhile thecurvature of the ribs at the points where the shanks or necks mergeforms a buttress to prevent lateral movement between the blocks and theslabs all of which will appear from an inspection of Figure 3 of thedrawings. Thus it will be seen that there are closed arched cells 23between the inner face of the slabs and the inner faces of the blockswhen they are laid in locked relation, which cells form a continuouschamber throughout the height of the building wall and this chamber maybe used for concealing plumbing or electric conductors or may beutilized for flues in heating or refrigerating the building.

The end ribs I6 of each slab is always formed at one end of the slabwhile the rib I8 is always spaced equally inwardly from the other sideof the slab to provide proper spacing and interlocking as shown inFigure 3 of the drawings.

Now, referring to the blocks A used in constructing a wall with facingslabs on one side only, one of which blocks is shown in Figure 2 it willbe seen that each block has a body portion of block form. The block hasa flat top and bottom face 25 which abut one another when laid incourses. Extending from the top to bottom faces in each block arerectangular openings or pockets 26 adjacent each end. Since thesepockets 26 in each block are the same size and uniformly spaced from theends of the block and from each other, they will register with eachother or with the pockets in the ends of the blocks throughout theheight of the wall because when the blocks and slabs are interlocked asshown in Figure 3 of the drawings they are brought into alignment.

Extending from the center of the inside face 29a inwardly is a keywayindicated generally at 21a consisting of a guide slot 21 which receivesthe necks 2| or 22 and this slot merges in the center of the segmentalshaped cavities 28 the latter receiving the heads I9 on the keys I9a. Ineach end the blocks are formed with recesses 29 and 30 and theserecesses terminate short of the corners of the blocks to provideshoulders 3I on the outside of the recess and shoulders 32 on the insideof the recess. Shoulders 3I abut each other but due to the shoulders 32being stepped inwardly there are guide slots 33 between the faces ofinset shoulders 32 when the blocks are laid in end to end relation.

When the blocks are assembled recesses 29 and 30 in the confronting endsof adjacent blocks of the same course form rectangular pockets 34,

the oneside portion ofwhich conformably grips the heads I9 and guideslots 33 receive necks or shanks 2I or 22 of the keys I9a.

It will thus be seen that the pockets 34 and guide slots 33 form akeyway which performs the same function as the keyways 21a in thecenters of the blocks. Furthermore, pockets 34 and guide slots 33register with guide slots 27a in the overlying and underlying courses ofblocks so that the keys I9a not only lock the blocks of the coursestogether but lock the ends of adjacent blocks at the same coursetogether.

Where dual facing slabs B are used it is necessary to make recesses 28on keyways 21a, referring to Figure 5, in each side of the blocks A inalignment with one another. At the same time, shoulders 3|, 32 adjoiningthe recesses 29 and 30 at the ends of the blocks are flush with eachother. This construction gives keyways 21a in the center on each side ofthe block just like keyways 2'Ia and the keyways between the ends of theblocks on each side similar to the keyways formed by the pockets 34 andguide slots 33, in the use of single facing slabs in Figure 3 of thedrawings. In all other respects the blocks are formed alike. By formingthe blocks with keyways in the ends and the sides on each side of theblock one slab B may be used on each face of the wall where doublefacing slabs are required.

The slabs B are approximately one and one half times the length of theblocks and approximately one and one half times the height of theblocks. This relation of one to the other breaks longitudinal jointsbetween the blocks and slabs when they are laid like in Figure 1 of thedrawings. The guides and pockets 33, 34 forming the keyways at the endsof theblocks and keyways 21a in the middle of the blocks are uniformlyspaced to receive the uniformly spaced shanks on necks and heads on thekeys I9a. The free portions on the sides of the slabs permit the keysI901. to align and seat in the respective keyways either in thecenter'or the ends of the blocks. It is believed that reference toFigures 1 and 3 of the drawings will give a clear understanding of therelation of the joints of the courses and of slabs to the courses of theblocks when taken in conjunction with the foregoing description withouta more detailed description thereof. 7

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is: r

V l. A slab facing for interlocking with a block wall comprising a flatrectangular body, no less than three vertically extending lateral ribscarried by the fiat body, each of said ribs terminating in a shank and asegmental key on their free ends and the ribs being equal in height tothe height of the flat body, one of the ribs being at one end of thebody and another rib located intermediate the ends of the body, a tongueon a portion of one side edge and a groove on a portion of the otherside edge of the body arranged in offset relation with respect to theend edges so as to break the vertical joints between contiguous bodiesin the same course.

2. A unit comprising a block body formed with inset recesses in the endfaces coextensive with the height of the block, said recessesterminating short of the vertical side corners to provide flat shouldersbetween the recesses and the vertical side corners whereby theconfronting recesses of contiguous blocks in the same course form akeyway to receive the head of a lateral key on a parallel course ofmasonry and the shoulders of contiguous blocks on the same course form alateral slot entering the keyway to receive the shank on the lateral keyon the parallel course of masonry.

3. A unit comprising a block body formed with inset recesses in the endfaces coextensive with the height of the block, said recessesterminating short of the vertical side corners to provide flat shouldersbetween the recesses and the vertical side corners whereby theconfronting recesses of contiguous blocks in the same course form akeyway to receive the head of a lateral key on a parallel course ofmasonry and the shoulders of contiguous blocks on the same course form alateral slot entering the keyway to receive the shank on the lateral keyon the parallel course of masonry,

and the shoulder to one side of the recess being stepped inwardly withrespect to the shoulder to the'other side of the recess so as to formsaid slot on only one side of the block and an abutting joint betweenthe shoulders on the other side of the block.

4. A self-locking interlocking wall construction fabricated withparallel courses of blocks and facing slabs wider than the blocks, theblocks pro vided with recesses in the end faces opening outwardly toform keyways in the joints between the ends of the blocks, one side faceof the blocks formed between the ends with keyways, the facing slabsformed with lateral spacing ribs engaging confronting portions of theblocks toprovide cells between the ribs and the confronting faces of theblocks and slabs, said ribs terminating in keys engageable in saidkeyways to interlock the adjacent blocks of one course together and thetwo adjacent courses, and also look the blocks and slabs together, andinterlocking tongue and groove joints between the confronting ends ofthe slabs of each course.

5. A self locking interlocking wall construction fabricated withparallel courses of blocks and facing slabs wider than the blocks, theblocks equipped with recesses in the end faces to provide keyways in thejoints between adjacent blocks, and said blocks formed with keyways inthe centers of one side face, facing slabs equipped with lateral spacingribs terminating in keys engageable in said keyways to interlock theslab courses with the block courses and also to lock the block coursestogether.

TALMA E. JENSEN.

